“The AmeriCorps members are vital to our work with young people,” said Davis, who leads Emerald Youth’s AmeriCorps program. “In fact, many Emerald Youth alumni have gone on to serve as AmeriCorps members. For these young adults, serving as an AmeriCorps member has been a way for them to gain unique job skills, and give back and contribute to their own community.”

Mayors and county executives throughout the nation held public events like the one in Knoxville to highlight the value of national service to the nation’s cities. In 2014, 1,760 mayors representing more than 110 million citizens participated in the second-annual Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service. The initiative is led by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the National League of Cities, and Cities of Service.

Emerald Youth AmeriCorps members serve in a variety of ways, including implementing math, reading, science and homework activities, keeping kids physically active, and spending one-on-one time with young people.

The current class of AmeriCorps members—serving since August—has logged more than 15,400 service hours with kids throughout the city.

A complete list of AmeriCorps opportunities in Tennessee is available here.